An Ace Halloween
by PenelopeDalton
Summary: The characters of Ace Attorney get up to all sorts of hijinks and heartache as all hallows eve draws near. p.s. There is also a companion piece called An Ace Christmas
1. Mia and Diego 2011

She walked in with confidence, her tail swishing with her walk and a steady smile played on her lips. It was all an act. Inside she felt like jelly, she hadn't been at the firm for long and that twinned with the fact that she hadn't ever worked a case made her feel like everyone viewed her as though she wasn't up to the job. She was almost sure that they all looked down on her, well all of them except for him. He was the only one who really believed in her.

He stood on the opposite side of the room to her and had been watching the door for the last hour. The drone of his fellow lawyers just passed through his brain as he waited for her to get there. He must have gone through nearly a dozen coffees anticipating her arrival. When she finally arrived he almost couldn't think, she just looked so amazingly beautiful. She was unbelievably cute in her black cat suit complete with ears and tail, the magatama around her neck hung to create a collar.

He saw straight through her false smile, he had seen it many times when she sat in on his trials, and swiftly waltzed over to her in order to rescue her from the drooling lawyers that gazed after her.

"Hello, Kitten, well don't you look pretty." Her smiled at her and sipped at the bitter liquid in his cup.

She pawed him with a playful slap and giggled delightedly at his comment, he was the one she had hoped to impress with her racy attire.

"You look pretty okay yourself, just promise not to drink my blood" She teased.

He instinctively felt his false fangs with his tongue and laughed. He had almost forgotten his own attire; he was so concentrated on hers. He had chosen the vampire look because he had heard that vampires were sexy now, something about sparkles and a new phase in the teen world. Well, whatever it was, he looked pretty damn good, even if he did say so himself.

He leaned into her, his mouth almost on her neck, his breath tickling her delicate throat. He could hear her catch her breath and hold it nervously. He raised his head just slightly.

"I can't make any promises" He whispered softly before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the dance floor.

She laughed and glided along as he danced ballroom to a fast paced song that filled the room with howls. He was completely oblivious to the other people dancing and the blush that crept up her cheeks. He spun her gracefully and pulled her in close, his gaze fixed on hers.

He eyes flicked from Mia's for just a second but it was enough to see another girl in the corner. One that stood transfixed to the couple, a hard stare centred on him. He stepped back slowly and let go of his partner's embrace, thankful that the Thriller had just come on.

"Excuse me one minute my dear kitten but I have to take a break." He told her, trying not to see the disappointment in her eyes because he knew that it would change his mind.

Mia watched him leave with longing and sighed deeply to herself, she had thought that there was maybe something between them but now it was uncertain at best. She stared after him, not even bothering to attempt to blend in with the mass of dancers that crowded her. After feeling so full of happiness just moments ago, she felt her heart drop like an anvil as she saw him talking with another woman. Their conversation filled with passion and strong intense emotion she couldn't even tear herself away from the sight that was slowly breaking her heart. They were just friends, her and Diego, and although she had always known that she had gotten carried away tonight.

When he returned to her side, following the steps to the song as though he had never left, she forced herself to smile at him and pretend that everything was alright. But she wasn't sure, that after the night's events she would ever feel the same again.

He walked home alone, his jacket slung over his shoulder. He'd blown his chance with the girl of his dream and didn't think that she would ever forgive him. Mia had seen him fighting with his ex he was sure of it. Otherwise she would not have looked so completely distraught when he returned.

He felt like such an idiot, his heart had soared when he was with Mia and now he had to work his way back up to earn her trust. He would do it; even if it took him a lifetime to get them back to that moment. He would give his life to be lost in her eyes again.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

If anyone is interested, I am looking for someone to proof read my Ace Attorney pieces. Please PM me if you want to give it a go.


	2. Phoenix and Trucy 2021

Trucy burst out of her room running around with her cloak blowing behind her, it's diamond shaped clip straining to hold it together at the front.

"Trucy, stop that, you're making me dizzy" Phoenix laughed, fixing his own red cloak into place.

"But why" she complained "it's so much fun, and Mr. Hat loves it too" She smiled as her wooden puppet appeared beside her."

"Yes Mr Wright, it is much fun sir" Mr. Hat piped in.

Phoenix laughed and pulled his daughter into a tight hug, crushing her and her companion as he did so.

"Come it's nearly time to go, you'll need your hat to fully complete the look, without it how will they know who you are." He teased her, ruffling her hair gently as he did so.

Trucy ran out the door at full pelt pulling Phoenix along with her.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he locked the door and turned to his partner for the night.

"So, where are we going to hit first?"

They strode along the tree lined path, their pumpkin shaped buckets overflowing and their stomachs aching after they had both consumed their fill of candy. They only had one more stop.

As they approached the wagon, the owner perked up a slight frown on his face.

"Trick or Treat!" Trucy shouted jumping excitedly and clutching her bucket as its contents spilled to the ground.

"And what are you supposed to be then?" Guy Eldoon enquired.

"I sir, am the magnificent Thalassa Gramarye and this is my partner, the fantastic Zak Gramarye. We are the great Troupe Gramarye!" Trucy bent forward, her hand flourishing her hat in an elaborate and well practiced bow.

"Ahh, well, I think it suits you a little better than your usual outfit my dear, the colours being feminine and such. Maybe you should wear it more often"

Trucy beamed from ear to ear and thought to herself that maybe she would.


	3. Pearl and Wocky 2026

The bell above the door hadn't rung all morning and Pearl was starting to think that waitressing wasn't all that fun after all. She had arrived at O. at nine o clock that morning hoping that she would get to spend the day with Wocky. She'd met him just under a year ago and since then she hadn't been able to get him out of her head and although originally he had been the one to make the first move, things had been painfully slow since then. As it drew closer to the year mark since he had come into her life, Pearl had decided that it was time to get their relationship moving. Well, first they had to get it started. She had spent the past ten months hanging around hoping that maybe someday something would happen. It wasn't even as though she expected him to do it all by himself, a number of times she had tried, and failed, to initiate a romantic situation. However, it seemed that it wasn't meant to be, every date turned into a group outing and every time she tried to talk to him about the prospect of "them" he always had something to do or somewhere to go. It was infuriating and today was her last resort, her last attempt of escaping the friend zone.

She had signed up to help Wocky cope with the Halloween "rush" that he had been anticipating for weeks. So far the rush had been anything but and they had only sold one pumpkin muffin and that had gone to her. At least she wasn't here alone; Wocky sat at the counter, a copy of Cosmopolitan open in front of him.

"I really don't see why women buy this thing." He mused staring confused at a page of fashion tips. "Don't you just go to shops to look at clothes; I mean that's what I do."

Pearl smiled at his comment and looked over his shoulder peering at the too skinny models "that's not why we read it silly!" she told him, plucking the magazine from his hands and flipping through the pages. "We read it for the advice, the tips and most of all the quizzes." She placed it back into his hands.

"Okay then." He stood up straight, clearing his throat "What kind of handbag person are you?" he asked. "Question one, what are you drawn to on the rails? Investment pieces, gorgeous dresses or skinny jeans?" He asked.

Pearl stared down at her current outfit, pretty much her only outfit, it was her training clothes and although she didn't spend much time at the temple anymore she always wore them.

"Okay so maybe that particular quiz doesn't apply to me." She smiled taking the magazine away from him and tossing onto the pile of similar periodicals on a table by the door.

"Damn" Wocky sighed "now I'll never find out if I'm a tote kinda guy after all."

Pearl laughed, slapping his arm playfully as she walked past him to get herself another muffin, they really were quite good.

"Save some for the customers will ya!" He teased.

"Yeah, cus I'm sure that the "rush" will be in any second."

"Okay so maybe it's not today" he admitted "But tomorrow, I'm telling ya it'll be packed."

Pearl just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Well, I guess I better be going, seeing as I'm not needed." She walked towards the door, praying that he would call her back.

"Just wait a minute" He panicked, not wanting her to leave before he'd told her how he felt, he'd been waiting for the right time but it never seemed to happen. He could feel that he was on thin ice and although he knew it was his fault for waiting so long, he knew that there was no way he could go another day, another night of dreaming only of her, without telling her how he felt. "Um," he stumbled trying to think of something to keep her there just a little while longer "You could help me make some Halloween cookies." He finally managed, knowing that she couldn't resist the chance to clean the bowl.

"Hmm, well, if you really need my help, I suppose I could stay for a little bit longer." She smiled, running into the back to get the ingredients.

Wocky sighed heavily, relieved as well as blown away by her smile, the one that made his knees give way and his heart beat a little faster. It was that smile that often kept him up at night thinking about her. He hadn't been able to think about anyone else since he'd met her last Christmas and until last week he'd been unsure about taking the plunge but now he regretted waiting so long. At first he had thought it was just a crush and that it would pass within a week or two, but every time he saw her, which he'd made sure was regularly, his heart would beat faster and he felt as though he couldn't think. Even when he realised that what he was feeling wasn't going away it was so hard for him to commit and after his last relationship had been such a shambles, he'd promised himself that he'd be sure the next time around. He wasn't counting on the next time around coming so soon.

"Okay, so I got the basics of course but I also got some chocolate chips, some cinnamon and lots of things that I assume are some form of nuts." Pearl returned, her arms piled high and precariously with a multitude of baking goods.

"Hang on a second!"Wocky ran over to take a couple of the things from her arms "If you drop anything, you're cleaning it up, you know that right?"

Pearl carefully laid out the equipment and ingredients along the long countertop checking everything off in her head as she did so.

"Right, let's get started then."

It only took a few minutes for the organised work area to descend into chaos and soon the floor had a light coat of flour, as did Pearl's hair.

"What was that for?" Pearl laughed, referring to the handful of powder that Wocky had just thrown at her.

"What?" Wocky looked at her quizzically faking ignorance.

"This!" Pearl replied with her own handful of mixture flying into his chest.

"Oh, it's on!"

They raced through the shop, dodging tables as Wocky held an uncooked cookie ball poised for the throw.

Pearl lost her footing, her shoes slipping on the contents of the flour sack.

As she tripped Wocky ran into her, sending them both tumbling to the floor.

He stared at her, her nose so close to his, her eyes looked on his.

"You've got something..." He trailed off as he wiped his thumb across her cheek, erasing only a small amount of the flour that covered her delicate features.

He paused for a second and stopped thinking; he just turned his brain off so there was no way it could ruin this for him.

They lay for a moment longer, just watching each other before he just let go and did what he had waited so long to do.

Lowering his lips to hers, he locked her in a kiss.

They could have been there a moment, a minute or a lifetime. It didn't matter because he knew that in that kiss he was the happiest he had ever been and he never, ever wanted to go back.

"You're cleaning it up, you know that right?" he whispered to her when he pulled away smiling.

"I don't care" she mumbled before pulling him back into her. He tasted of cookies and the floor was cold against her back and it couldn't have been more perfect. She didn't mind about the cookies, not one little bit.


	4. Ema and Apollo 2026

"Why couldn't we just get the pre-cut pumpkins?" Apollo complained as he sawed through the top of the large pumpkin in front of him. "And why couldn't we just get one?"He sighed heavily, pulling the seeds and insides out from the pumpkin and into a large bowl next to him that nearing its fill. It had only been an hour or so since they had started but he had already emptied out five pumpkins.

"Apollo!" Ema tossed a Snackoo at him but he dodged it. "Jack-O-Lanterns are one of the best parts of Halloween, they can be anything you want and best of all they're one of the first lines of defence against trick-or-treaters." She smiled down at the smiling face of her current work. It was also one of her favourite parts of Halloween because it was something that Lana had always done with her when they were younger. Her sister was usually really busy around All Hallows because of the high crime rate, so creating Jack-O-Lanterns had been their only time together when Ema was younger.

"Yeah, but it's just so yucky." Apollo grimaced as he tried to get slimy pumpkin off of his hands.

"Well, as soon as you cut that one, we'll be done."

"Wait a second; you're seriously letting me cut one. By myself!" Apollo stepped back in dramatic surprise. He had been given strict instructions that he was not to do any of the creative work as it was his first year making one.

Ema looked up from the delicate operation she was performing on her Pumpkin and sighed "It's the only way that you'll shut up." She swiftly returned to her work, her tongue stuck out slightly in concentration.

Apollo was delighted to have been released from lobotomy duties and jumped up and down in excitement. Although she pretended not to notice, Ema smiled as she worked.

When the Pumpkins were placed, Ema clasped her hands to her face.

"Oh, don't they look amazing!" She gushed, grinning widely.

"Even mine?" Apollo teased, pulling her into him by her waist.

"Especially yours." She smiled up him.

He caught her smile in a light kiss, but she pulled away after only a few seconds, her expression thoughtful.

"So, what should we do next, the dry ice or the invisible ink" She asked.

"Wait, what? Invisible ink?"Apollo asked, still slightly surprised after she suddenly pulled away.

"Yeah, I was thinking we could use UV lights on it to create spooky blood writing." Ema replied. "I'm just not sure what we should write." she pondered tapping her finger against her lips which Apollo couldn't stop looking at.

"Couldn't we just do that tomorrow?" He suggested, his hands pulling her back into him.

"What?" At first she looked confused but when she saw his face she smiled.

"If you had your way, we'd never get anything done." She giggled, pushing his hands away but he brought them back to cup her face and kissed her strongly.

He hadn't meant it to be forceful, he just couldn't help himself and for a second his body had taken over. He felt guilty because he knew she was right, but then he felt her kiss him back, her hands around his neck. He smiled against her lips, neither of them had any will power when it came to each other. Carefully and slowly, he picked her up and held her in his arms carrying her into the house and kicking the door behind him, leaving the grinning pumpkins to glow in the night sky alone.


	5. Maya and Pearl 2026

Before Pearl even entered the room she could hear Maya's sobbing as it echoed throughout the walls of the Fey Manor.

"Maya! Maya!" Pearl rushed into the room, nearly tripping over an upturned box as she did so.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she sat down beside Maya who was hunched over clutching a photograph tightly in her hand.

Maya didn't reply but instead handed Pearl the photograph which was soggy from tears.

At first Pearl couldn't help but smile at the young woman that grinned at the camera, the woman had one arm wrapped around an attractive man while the other held a glass of wine. It took Pearl a moment to realise who the woman was, and when she did, her smile slipped slightly and she looked worriedly at Maya.

"Maya where did you find this?"

Again there was no answer, instead Maya pointed to the box near the door.

"I thought you were feeling better about her death. I know it was hard last year with it being the tenth anniversary and all but you have to remember that she wouldn't want you to be sad and that she is always with us in spirit." Pearl told her.

"I know, but I'm the same age as she was when she died and she'll never experience anything that I will, she'll never grow old or yet married or have kids. I feel like I don't have the right to live through those things when she didn't, especially seeing as I could have saved her." Maya finally spoke, her words blurring together as she dissolved back into tears.

Pearl could see no other option and although she was already exhausted from a day of training, she began the transformation and blacked out.

"Maya?"

Maya looked up, surprised to hear her sister's voice.

"Sis?" She asked although, even through her tear blurred eyes, she could see that Pearl had channelled Mia. "What are you doing here?" she quickly wiped her eyes and tried to appear calm.

"Well, surely that's something I should be asking you, I know that Pearl wouldn't have called me for no reason." Mia frowned, scanning the room and picking up the photograph that had dropped by her feet.

Before Maya could respond to her, Mia laughed at the image in her hands.

"How can you laugh?" Maya's crying escalated, her sobs ringing through the room.

"Whatever do you mean, of course I can laugh."Mia looked confusedly at Maya. "And if you're on about this photograph, of course it's funny; I mean have you seen what I'm wearing in it. Seriously what was I thinking?" She laughed again and saw that Maya was staring at her before focusing on the part of the photograph that she couldn't help but look at. "And Diego... well he loved it, I remember how he smiled as I walked in wearing it." She looked off, smiling to herself before smiling back at Maya, trying to cheer her up "Goodness, he's gorgeous."

"Sis, can you be serious for a minute?" Maya asked "Don't you miss it, doesn't it make you sad to see us all living on without you. I just can't bear thinking about how much I miss you and how horrible it must be."

Mia pulled Maya into a tight hug "Of course I miss it!" She told Maya "but if I hadn't have died then so many things would be different and Redd White might still be on the loose, even Dahlia might still be ruining everyone's lives. So many things wouldn't have happened and so many things would have that it really doesn't even bear thinking about, it was just my time and anyway, in a family like ours, it's not like anyone's really gone forever. I wish I could have lived to see you grow up, to see Diego wake up and to see Phoenix become the amazing man he is today, but I can see it happen anyway and seeing you happy is worth the world to me."

Maya pulled away slightly to look at Mia. "You mean that?" She asked, her eyes drying and a small smile spreading on her face.

"Of course I do." Mia grinned back "you are my little sister after all."

"I'm so glad I got to see you again." Mia beamed after pulling away from a long hug with her sister.

"You too, sis." Maya replied as her sister faded back into Pearl.

The first thing that Pearl saw when she woke up was Maya's smiling face and immediately she felt a lot better.

"Thank goodness you're awake, I was starting to get worried Pearly, do you want some water?" Pearl shook her head and Maya shrugged. " well anyway, now you're up we can start getting ready for the party." Maya smiled, standing up to dance around the room.

Pearl laughed, one hand reaching up to her temple as the last of her foggy headache disappeared, the other on the floor as she pushed herself up. "Maya, slow down a bit, are you okay?"

Maya ran over and pulled Pearl into a hug, spinning her around as she did so "Yes, I feel so much better, you're the best for channelling Mia, and you know that right?" Maya's smile turned serious for a moment.

"Of course I do! And you owe me big time now." Pearl teased. "I shall have to draw up a list of demands." She smiled "You know I'd do anything for you Maya, you're my best friend."

"And you're mine too, Pearly." Maya squeezed her tight before letting go. " Although I was starting to doubt it, I thought that Wocky was your new bestie with you spending so much time together and everything." Maya winked.

"Well, I'm not sure that "Best" friends is how I'd describe it." Pearl turned away, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

Maya squealed with excitement "You have to tell me, spill, what happened?" Maya jumped up and down, her face spit with a gigantic grin.

Pearl smiled back at her "Well...


	6. Phoenix, Apollo and Trucy 2026

Apollo had spent the last hour perfecting his costume but it still didn't quite look right. There was something missing and he just couldn't quite put his finger on it. He tapped his fingers against the basin he was stood at as he stared into the eyes of his reflection.

"What ya doin' ?" Trucy asked, rocking on her heels and peering over Apollo's shoulder.

Apollo shuck his head and turned to Trucy running his hand through his hair.

"Nothing." Apollo lied, not wanting to admit that he didn't even know what he was looking for.

"Not these then?" Trucy smiled and produced a pair of dark tortoise-shell rectangular frame glasses.

Apollo instantly recognised them as the missing piece of his costume and blushed heavily.

"Um, Maybe." He admitted, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"Mr. Hat had them." She informed him.

Apollo recovered from his embarrassment and smiled at her, "Well, tell him from me, that it's rude to take people's glasses."

"I will!" Trucy promised before quickly switching the subject off of her misdeeds. "So, who are you meant to be, anyway?" She asked.

"Oh, well, you see, when I was younger there was this show where an alien doctor would fly across the stars and save the world."

"Wow, that sounds amazing, but, you don't look like an alien."

"Well, it's hard to explain. Ask your dad, he'll tell you." Apollo deflected before turning back to the mirror to perfect his hair.

"DAD!" She shouted through the office.

A robotic head popped around the door.

"Allons-y." He announced when he saw Apollo.

"Dad, how come he's an alien but looks like a human?" Trucy asked, unfazed by Phoenix's costume.

"Umm, well , it's because he's a humanoid alien, so although he looks like a human on the outside, on the inside he's not and he has two hearts."

Trucy's hands flew to her mouth.

"Two hearts!" She gasped "How strange, that must be useful."

"Yes, it must" Phoenix replied. "Now, as I said, Allons-y. Let's go."


	7. The Party part 1 2026

By the time Maya and Pearl arrived, the room was already buzzing. The drinks were flowing and the crowd was aloud with chatter.

The room looked amazing, it was astonishing that Nick had managed to hire the courtroom in the first place, but what he had done to the place was magical. The room had been transformed into a haunting cavern that crawled with monsters and creepy crawlies.

"Wow!" the two girls gasped as they entered. It was a stark contrast to the serious atmosphere that surrounded them in the village.

As they moved through the crowd, they couldn't help but notice that gazes followed them. Pearl almost ran to Wocky when she saw him, but managed to restrain herself and not draw any more attention.

"You look fantastic." She squealed when she reached him.

"And you look beautiful. " She smiled before leaning forward and whispering in her ear "as always."

He caught her cheek with a kiss as he withdrew, it was so small it was hardly noticeable but it still mattered. Pearl beamed at him, her eyes glued to his.

"Um, Wocky, first why is everyone looking at me?" Maya interrupted, oblivious to the romantic moment "and second, where's the buffet?"

Before Wocky could answer either question, the sound of someone clearing their thought echoed through the room.

"Testing, testing." Came the voice from the stage that stood in the centre of the room.

Maya moved to get a better view of the figure on stage and when she did her question was answered. On the stage stood and exact replica of the costume that Maya wore and although it should have been embarrassing, as soon as Maya realised who was in it, she couldn't help but smile.

"I'm so glad you could all make it." The Steel Samurai spoke "Everyone looks terrific, especially the lady who came as the warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo, she clearly has terrific taste."

Maya blushed as the crowd smiled at her and Phoenix.

"Now before you get up to any tricks, I have a treat for you..." Phoenix announced, flourishing his arm to the left. "The Gavinners, in their last ever performance!"

The crowd screamed in excitement as Phoenix left the stage and Klavier Gavin took his place.

As the first song began, Phoenix joined Maya and Pearl, Trucy followed behind him but her eyes were glued to the stage.

" It's great to see you." Phoenix greeted them both with a hug before turning towards Trucy.

"Trucy, this is Maya and this Pearl."He managed to get her to turn away for one second and smile at the two girls.

"Hi." She grinned, her eyes flickering between the girls and the stage. "I'm Trucy. Hey aren't you daddy's girlfriend" She asked Pearl.

Phoenix stared at his daughter, his mouth open, as Wocky fidgeted next to him.

"Well..."Pearl began.

"No." Wocky interrupted, his face now blushed "She's not. She's my girlfriend." He announced just as the song ended.

A circle of people around them turned to look at the gathering. Some, including Plum and Winfred, were shocked while the others smiled at the couple before returning to the show.

Pearl looked up at Wocky, her eyes alight and her smile wide. She was so glad to hear him say it, she had never been anyone's girlfriend before and it felt wonderful to know that he felt that way about her and that he didn't care who knew.

Trucy was soon pulled away by the band and Maya spotted the buffet and left.

Pearl , Wocky and Phoenix were left to talk to Winfred and Plum.

"So, I see that our son has started keeping secrets." Winfred spoke, his tone beginning seriously but it soon lightened up when he saw the way that the couple looked at each other. "Well, I guess I trust to you enough to run the shop, so I can probably trust you to choose an appropriate girl for yourself. Just promise me that won't do anything like the last one."

"I trust her completely." Wocky replied.

Winfred smiled at the pair "now that that's all sorted, I think it's time we enjoyed ourselves a little, don't you ?"

He took his wife's hand and pulled her out onto the dance floor, their feet and bodies moving together in time to the music.

"Shall we?" Wocky bowed to Pearl gracefully before taking her hand and leading her in a waltz style.

Phoenix watched the two couples as they danced and couldn't help feel as though he was missing out, would he ever find someone to dance with in that way that was so carefree? He was starting to worry that he never would.


	8. The Party part 2 2026

Klavier loved the rush of the crowd and he knew that the crowd loved him. It was one of the most amazing feelings in the world to him, to stand on stage and sing his heart out to his adoring fans. The other most amazing feeling was standing in the courtroom fighting for justice. In so many ways they were the same. You stood in a crowded room with everyone staring at you and told them your opinions and feelings, and almost everyone in that room wanted to be you or be with you. Klavier loved the way his two careers fit together so well and how they thrived off of each other. Recently they had gotten too close and now he cursed himself for letting one life depend on the other. It had led to the destruction of his musical career as a Gavinner. He had thought about finding a replacement for Daryan and continuing on with the band but the stigma of having a murderer in a band made up of justice fighters was never going to go away. He still loved his music and dreamed of performing almost every night, but his law career was much more important. It was imperative to him that no one would ever get away with things the way his brother did, not under his watch.

Today was both a blessing and a curse, he was overjoyed that he would get to play one last time, for himself and of course for his fans. It was a curse because performing was like a drug and he had known before he agreed that it would be hard to stick to his word and leave the music world.

The one thing that really tipped the scales for Klavier was the fact that it wasn't just him who'd had a weird year. He felt like he owed it to Apollo, Trucy and Ema to give them one last amazing show, after all, they couldn't get enough of him. It was definitely the best pre-wedding present he could have given them.

He descended from the stage no more worse for wear than when he had started the concert. His purple jacket was still unwrinkled and he hadn't even broken a slight sweat during his 45 minute set. When Apollo asked him about it, he just shrugged, it was just part of what made him so spectacular.

" Ah, so how are you, Herr Forehead?" Klavier inquired.

"Absolutely fantastic." Apollo smiled at Ema and squeezed her hand.

"Well I'm glad that Fraulein Detective has made you so happy." Klavier bowed slightly and kissed Ema's other hand before beaming up at her. "I trust that my invitation is in the mail."

"We're sending them out next week." Ema smiled. "If you're desperate to know, it's going to be June 7th ."

"A June wedding how delight ..."

Klavier was suddenly interrupted by a commotion to their right.

"Jammin' Ninja is nothing compared to the Warrior of Justice that is the Steel Samurai." Came a high pitched shout.

"You've got to be kidding me, he wouldn't know cool if it hit him in the head, which is quite likely to happen considering his lack of defence skills." Another voice retorted.

Ema , Apollo and Klavier tried to move closer to see what was happening but couldn't get past the ever growing crowd of spectators. They could only just see the participators in the argument, and even then, their costumes disguised them.

"How many times did the Steel Samurai defeat the Evil Magistrate? If that's not self defence, then what is?" One of the girls replied, Klavier assumed that this must be the girl that Phoenix had talked about, after all, her costume was exactly the same as his.

"As if!" The second girl snorted, she appeared to be wearing some sort of ninja outfit and carried a red guitar. Klavier was used to extravagant musicians but even he thought that it was a little bit over the top. "The Evil Magistrate was never a real threat, anyone could see that."

"Girls!" A Figure moved in between the two girls to stop them from transferring to a more physical attack. "Calm down! Now, it's obvious that the Blue Badger is superior."

The two girls laughed, as did most of the crowd and the ninja punched the figure lightly on the arm.

"You wish, Edgeworth." She laughed. The fight all but forgotten as Kay wondered off with Edgeworth and Maya towards the buffet.


	9. The Party part 3 2026

Edgeworth wasn't sure that she was going to show up, he had visited her just last week to double check the details and although she'd been excited he could hear the slight worry in her voice. It had been so long since she'd seen him so it was understandable that she'd be nervous. Edgeworth just hoped that her anxiety didn't stop her from coming tonight.

He looked around the room to make sure that he hadn't missed her earlier while he was dealing with Kay. He scanned the room three times but couldn't see her. The worst part about waiting was that there was no way to know if it was even worth him doing it, for all he knew she might have decided that the two hour journey was too long or maybe she just wasn't ready to see him again.

Edgeworth checked his watch one more time before he started towards the door to have a look outside. He slowly skirted the crowds, keeping one eye on the door. He approached the door and as he did he noticed the crowds starting to turn towards the door. He couldn't quite see what the spectacle was through the now gathering crowd but he knew that it was her.

When he finally managed to make it through the group of people to greet her, the first thing he noticed was her blush. She wasn't used to this kind of attention but it was clear why everyone, including Edgeworth, couldn't stop staring at her. She looked incredibly stunning in her costume, her paper thin wings fanning out to frame her flowery dress; Phoenix was going to love it.

"Iris, I'm so glad you could make it." Edgeworth pulled her into a gentle hug.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiled at him her eyes alight.

He wanted desperately to stay with her, it was just the way she made people feel when she was around them.

"Do you want to go see him now, or do you want to get something to drink first." Edgeworth asked.

"I think I'd better get a drink first to calm my nerves." Iris replied, holding her hands up to show how they shook.

He couldn't help smiling at how nervous she was. There really was no need as Phoenix would just be glad to see her.

"I'm sure that it'll be fine." Edgeworth guided her towards the buffet table, his hand resting lightly on her back to steady her.

"Edgey, my man!" came a voice from behind them.

Dread flooded through Edgeworth's veins, he would know that voice anywhere but he just wished it wasn't here.

They turned to see Larry walking towards them with a glazed look and his arms out in front of him. His clothes were torn and his face covered in fake blood.

Phoenix saw it happening before it did, he'd known Larry so long that he could almost exactly predict what he was about to do. Usually he just imagined the worst thing that he could possibly do and then factored in a beautiful woman. So when he saw Iris, looking as she did, and Larry, being who he was, walking towards her with a drink in his hand, he reached for the napkins on a nearby table and rushed to try and stop it from happening. Unfortunately, it did happen, as it always did, and Larry tripped, his cup flying forward to soak Iris's beautiful dress.

Before Larry had even started to get back up, Phoenix was in front of Iris, his hand grasping the napkins tightly.

He looked straight into her eyes, getting lost deep in them. In that moment he was so glad that he was wearing a mask because he could tell that his emotions were written all over his face.

"Um, let me help you with that." He said, handing some of the napkins to her and using the rest to gently dab the sleeve of her dress.

"Oh, honey, don't worry about it. It'll wash out." Iris smiled unconvincingly.

His nerves had taken over and the fact that he was touching her, effectively stroking her, definitely wasn't helping. Phoenix couldn't even look back up at her; his hands were wetting the napkins more than the drink from her dress was. "Um..." He struggled to think of something to say "Well, okay if you insist. I'm sure you're right, it's not that bad." He lied.

"Wow that's a massive stain." Larry finally stood up and put his foot in it. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "You know, it wasn't really my fault but I guess I am partly responsible so if you want I'll pay for the dry cleaning."

"Oh no, don't worry!" Iris replied before Phoenix could point out that it was completely Larry's fault.

"Okay then." Larry grinned clearly glad to be freed of his obligation. "So, now that that's sorted out, it's good to see you Iris." Larry skipped away from the subject and pulled Iris into a hug.

He thought he saw her eyes flick over to him with a spark of longing but it was probably just wishful thinking.

She pulled away from Larry and smiled "It's so great to see you all again." She paused, taking a moment to gather her confidence. "Phoenix." She held out her arms to him.

Her smile melted him and the one that he returned was weak with hesitation. After of moment of he gently brought her into him.

He felt her body press against his.

As soon as they were connected he felt a million times better and all of the worry seemed to vanish from his thoughts. The only thing that seemed to be left was the sensation of having her against him and although they were separated by his costume, he could swear he felt her heart beating.

They pulled away.

It was too soon, it had been so long and now all he wanted to do was hold her, he felt he might collapse if he didn't have her back in his arms.

"Um, Iris, would you like to dance?" Phoenix asked, one hand reaching back out to her.

"Of course!" Iris replied much too quickly. Her hand grasped his smoothly and she pulled him out onto the dance floor, light shining in her eyes.

There was no need for discussion and the two quickly settled into a close slow dance that left no space between them. Larry was forgotten and he and Edgeworth stood off to the side. Neither of them could help smiling at the site of their good friend so happy at last.


	10. Apendix

Thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed this. Now that its finished i hope to see lots more reviews.

I hope to start writing again, i cant make any promises but there might be some more Ace Attorney fics from me in the future.


End file.
